Hyvinkää plans significant cuts to services impacting music education and jobs

The city of Hyvinkää is planning significant cuts to various services, including cultural and sports services, basic education in the arts, and early childhood education. The municipality has compiled a list of services that it is considering cutting funding for. One organization facing potential cuts is the Hyvinkää Music School. The list of balancing measures under consideration by the city indicates that one possible action is to terminate the school’s funding entirely. This could result in a potential funding reduction of half, amounting to about 245,000 euros next year. According to the school, such cuts would lead to the cessation of its operations, affecting the music education of 645 children and young people in Hyvinkää. Additionally, 50 employees would lose their jobs.

Sanna Ratia, the principal of the music school, expressed her surprise at the scale of cuts being proposed for arts education. The school has been receiving state funding since 1972, and in 2024 it received over one million euros in state assistance. Ratia stated that without the city’s funding, the school’s activities would be drastically reduced, impacting the state’s tied funding as well.

Hyvinkää’s mayor, Johanna Luukkonen, emphasized that no final decision has been made; the city is still gathering options for political decision-making. According to Luukkonen, the city must first ensure it can provide legally mandated services before evaluating discretionary services. The proposed cuts are part of a budget strategy requiring savings of 8.5 million euros, with the current list of cuts amounting to about 4.7 million euros.

Concerns were raised by the Music School and the Finnish Music Teachers’ Association regarding potential state funding losses if city cuts go through. Luukkonen acknowledged this criticism but clarified that state grants are not directly funds for the city. Decisions on the cuts will be made in November by the city council.